This is a bumper collection of 120 model-making, costume and recipe projects that can be done at home or in the classroom. They provide hours of creative fun and give amazing insights into history at the same time. The instructions and step-by-step photographs are practical, accessible and easy to follow, and the materials used are inexpensive and easy to find. All of the projects are inspired by authentic artifacts, buildings, clothes and food, and drawn from key cultures around the world. By doing the projects, children will acquire hands-on information about the skills and styles of different civilizations at different times.Many of the projects, such as the cooking recipes and the patchwork craft cushion, can actually be put to practical use. Others will contribute to a greater awareness of the civilisations under examination by letting children dress as historical people and wear their ornaments, accessories or badges of status. Some of the projects show how to make models of buildings, boats, weapons, armour, toys and much more - all are specially designed to demonstrate an important learning point about human history.The projects are arranged thematically to reflect different aspects of everyday life, such as fashion, transport, or entertainment. The introduction to each thematic section sets the scene for the projects that follow. The linking principle throughout the book is that all the projects are developed to be fun to make, accurate and authentic, so that children can have hours of fascination and amusement while simultaenously assimilating detailed practical knowledge of the way our forefathers invented our everyday objects and designed the first versions of our clothes, buildings and methods of transport.Clear step-by-step photographs and accessible instructions describe exactly how to make 120 models, costumes and recipes using simple equipment and techniquesThe projects are all based on authentic designs, materials and skills: they are developed as fun teaching guides so children can learn how people lived in the past through practical experienceBackground information describes the crafts of the past and shows landmark developments in architecture, art, fashion, warfare and much moreEnhances school curriculum history lessons based on the premise that all pupils should be taught how to find out about the past from a range of information; to recognize why people did things and to identify differences between ways of life at different times and in different cultures
About the Author: Straun Reid is an archaeologist and historian who has written a number of educational and reference books for children. His main area of expertise is history books aimed at a younger audience.